FALSTAFF
“a striding, symphonic account by a conductor who clearly loves and understands the work, played with polish and flair…the swagger and brilliance of the climactic coronation procession sets hairs on end.”
GRAMOPHONE - review
Constantine has a great love of the piece and understanding of Elgar's late style, and the BBC NOW responds brilliantly to him. Having heard Constantine conduct Falstaff with BBC NOW, I would be keen to hear them in other Elgar symphonic works.
planethugill.com - review
“an in-form BBCNOW and an insightful Constantine are honourable to the “symphonic” aspect of Elgar’s score…I have a feeling I’ll be spinning these discs quite a few times”
Classical source - review
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BEETHOVEN: THE COMPLETE CONCERTOS
“Constantine's attention to exact ensemble, exact entrances, accents, and a forward leaning pulse is just as sharp as Goodyear’s…The intelligence and artistry between Goodyear and Constantine here is a display of intelligent design (my own personal proof of the existence of the Divine).”
American Record Guide - review
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ELGAR: THE NEW ENGLAND CONNECTION
“Andrew Constantine leads a performance of winning affection and attentive spirit; he also secures a commendably spick-and-span response from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, who seem to be enjoying making this music’s acquaintance.”
GRAMOPHONE - review
Out now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and Google Play
WALTER BRICHT: ORCHESTRAL MUSIC, VOLUME ONE
The Austrian composer Walter Bricht (1904-70) was one of many musicians of Jewish ancestry who fled Vienna after the Anschluss for the safety of the USA; Bricht became a valued professor at Indiana University in Bloomington. Fittingly, it is the nearby Fort Wayne Philharmonic, in its own debut recording, that has made the first album of Brichts music. The recording reveals another major Viennese voice and points to yet another potentially important career cut off in the bud by the Nazis. Bricht was reportedly Franz Schmidts favorite student, and the late-Romantic styles of the two men are indeed very closely aligned in their mix of Baroque counterpoint, Classical form and Wagnerian chromatic harmony: Brichts Symphony in A minor might almost be Schmidts No. 5.
Out now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and Google Play
